Thanksgiving Favorites

November 19, 2015

I wanted to stop by briefly to share a few of my favorite dishes and wines fit for the Thanksgiving table, as well as a couple of helpful recipe roundups from around the web. I’m planning a fairly traditional feast myself, including but not limited to an itty-bitty turkey that my mom will be present to prepare (thank goodness!), the aforementioned delicata squash soup, a big kale salad with plenty of delicious toppings, my mom’s famous soft and squishy dinner rolls, a highly flavorful cranberry chutney and a pumpkin tart à la Amy Chaplin with plenty of softly whipped cream.

Key to the success of our feast is providing enough options to satiate everyone present, which will include folks with aversions and/or allergies to meat, gluten and dairy. I’m actually of the opinion that this isn’t so hard. You just need to have enough food on the table that there are options, which happens rather organically on Thanksgiving, and to go easy on the butter and cream. Additionally, while salad should never be the only thing that someone can eat, making a kick-ass salad is never a bad idea in any situation and will definitely help here.

What are your standby dishes, or your experiments this year? I’d love to hear! These are a few of my favorites…

Stuffed Squash, aka, The Best Vegetarian Centerpiece Ever (pictured above): One of these years, I will get my act together early enough to spell this out in greater detail, but for now, I’m directing you to the original source. David and Luise over at Green Kitchen Stories posted the recipe for this stuffed pumpkin a few years ago, and I’ve made my own rendition every Thanksgiving since. I’m forgoing it this year as there will be a turkey and I’m the only one abstaining, but it’s such a gem and makes for a stunning centerpiece. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it’s even prettier than your average turkey because, let’s face it, it is. I have always used kabocha squash and have had great success with both quinoa and brown rice. The cranberries and cheese really take this one over the top.

Stuffing Inspiration: I like a doctored-up version of my mom’s basic recipe, but since I knocked Bon Appétit in my last post, I will give them credit for their smart little stuffing matrix, which gives you lots of ideas alongside the freedom that is appropriate for such things as stuffing.

Start with something sparkling! This is always an excellent idea in my book. Pét-nat (short for pétillant-natural), though actually ancient, is freshly hip—but with good reason, i.e., it is fun and delicious. I love Les Capriades wines if you can get your hands on them. Prosecco is also a great option; Casa Coste Piane makes my current favorite.

Gamay wins the day: The Gamay grape, grown mostly in the Beaujolais region of France, produces a lighter-style red wine that pairs well with basically any food and is also delicious all on its own. It stands up fantastically to the hearty fare of Thanksgiving. Yann Bertrand makes some particularly special Gamay from Fleurie and Morgon.

Hi Carol! I think you’d have a lot of fun with this recipe. The mushrooms are primarily there to add a nice punch of umami, so just make sure to keep the more flavorful parts of the mix in your version (wine, cheese, etc.). I’d replace them with an extra half onion, or some leek or celery. I’ve always ended up with plenty of filling, so I don’t think you need to worry about replacing the exact volume/weight. Let me know if you give it a try!